The Devil And Communist China Tries To Prevent Future CCP Victims By Remembering Past Ones

Hitler’s Nazi regime is almost universally regarded as a fully evil enterprise, with only scattered and marginalized outcasts who deny the monstrosity of the Holocaust or claim that the doctrine of Aryan racial superiority is a positive good. The Soviet Union and its seven-decade run elicit less unanimity among those who would call its reign evil — or an evil made necessary by the effort to bring communism to life.

The People’s Republic of China was once seen as evil. But then, for a time, it was a partner in trade, with that view waning such that it is now, once again, widely viewed as an evil regime — though not yet as widely as was the USSR and certainly not as was the Nazi state.

It’s against this ambivalence that Steven Mosher builds a compelling case in The Devil and Communist China. He convincingly argues that the evil practiced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) eclipses the evil wrought by the USSR, pointing out in the introduction that, per The Black Book of Communism, China was responsible for 65 million deaths, while the Soviet Union purged 20 million — then noting that China’s numbers don’t include the roughly 500 million unborn killed due to its one-child policy.

Mosher’s The Devil and Communist China offers a profound and chilling examination of the CCP’s history and its effect on the world. Mosher, leveraging decades of research, presents a meticulously documented account of the CCP’s reign, characterized by mass purges, starvation, and a relentless crush on dissent. Mosher draws a direct line from the ideological foundations laid by Karl Marx to the execution of these policies by Mao Zedong and his successors up to today’s paramount leader, Xi Jinping.

Mosher is uniquely positioned to see and to reveal these policies. He’s one of a handful of American China experts who’s studied in the country, learned the language, and has never fallen into the thrall of the CCP, nor has he had any false illusions about the CCP’s ability to reform itself into a democratic party, respecting of the rule of law and human rights.

CCP’s Disregard for Human Life

Mosher’s narrative is not just a recounting of historical events; it’s an indictment of the ideological underpinnings that made such horrors possible. The CCP’s death toll, enhanced by the one-child policy with its forced abortions and infanticide, reflects not just policy failures but a deeper, systemic disregard for human life intrinsic to the party’s Marxist-Leninist roots. The book meticulously details the CCP’s numerous campaigns against its own people, from the Great Leap Forward to the Cultural Revolution, and more contemporary examples, such as the suppression of Tiananmen Square protesters and the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

The Devil and Communist China also explores the CCP’s reach beyond its borders, asserting that the party’s influence, particularly through the Covid-19 pandemic, represents a continuation of its destructive legacy. Mosher convincingly argues that the party’s actions are far from anomalies, but rather the natural outcomes of its Marxist-Leninist ideology, which prioritizes party supremacy over individual rights and lives.

Mosher assembles a wide array of sources, from firsthand accounts to scholarly research, which lends credibility and depth to his arguments. Mosher’s analysis of the CCP’s ideological rigidity and its consequences provides a sobering reminder of the dangers posed by totalitarian regimes.

Eradicating Religious Belief

The landscape of religious freedom in China, particularly under the leadership of Jinping, has been one of increasing restriction and suppression. This is a story not just of recent years but of a struggle that goes back to the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. It’s a narrative of how the CCP’s iron grip has sought to reshape, control, and at times eradicate religious belief within its borders, aligning with a long-standing ideology that views religion as a threat to the Communist Party’s absolute power.

Under Chairman Mao, the CCP launched an aggressive campaign against religions, seeing them as vestiges of feudalism and imperialism. Mao’s disdain for religion was part of a broader effort to root out traditional beliefs and practices, which he and the party viewed as obstacles to the establishment of a socialist society. Christianity, with its foreign roots and widespread Western missionary activity in China, was particularly targeted. Mao’s campaigns against religion culminated in the Cultural Revolution, a period of intense persecution of religious believers of all stripes.

In the decades that followed, periods of relative relaxation alternated with new crackdowns, but the fundamental stance of the CCP toward religion remained unchanged: Any form of religious expression must be strictly controlled and subordinated to the party’s interests. This has meant that all religious organizations must register with the state and submit to its oversight, a requirement that has led to the bifurcation of many religious communities into “official” and “underground” or “house” churches and temples.

Jinping’s tenure has marked a significant intensification of this policy. Under the guise of the “Sinicization” of religion, the party has sought not just to control but to fundamentally alter religious practices to align with socialist values and the CCP leadership. This ongoing, comprehensive campaign includes rewriting religious texts, destroying or repurposing religious buildings, and the wholesale incorporation of party ideology into religious teaching and practice — in other words, the destruction of faith.

Catholics in China

The creation and enforcement of the “Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association” (CPCA) illustrate this strategy. Established as a parallel structure to the Catholic Church that recognizes the pope’s spiritual authority but insists on the primacy of the CCP in matters of administration and the appointment of bishops, the CPCA is instead a state-controlled version of Catholicism. The Vatican’s recent attempts to engage with the Chinese government, culminating in the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, have been controversial, with critics arguing that they grant legitimacy to the CPCA and betray the faithful who have suffered persecution for their loyalty to the Holy See.

The “Sinicization” campaign is part of a broader strategy to ensure that all forms of social and personal life are aligned with party ideology — the very definition of totalitarianism. This includes the introduction of new regulations that further restrict religious practice, the use of high-tech surveillance to monitor and control religious communities, and the promotion of “Xi Jinping Thought” as a component of religious teaching. The effect of these policies has been to place even greater pressure on religious believers, forcing many into a choice between compromising their beliefs or facing persecution.

Despite these challenges, the faith of many Chinese Catholics remains strong. Underground churches continue to operate, and there are signs that the faith is not only enduring but, in some places, growing. This resilience speaks to the power of faith to withstand even the most determined attempts at suppression.

Staying Vigilant

The struggle for religious freedom in China is a testament to the enduring desire for spiritual fulfillment and the right to practice one’s faith freely. It is a reminder of the importance of standing in solidarity with those who face persecution and the need for continued advocacy for religious liberty as a fundamental human right.

It’s also a reminder that compromise with the CCP is impossible.

The Devil and Communist China is a critical and timely contribution to our understanding of the Chinese Communist Party. It serves not only as a historical account but as a warning of the persistent threat posed by totalitarian ideologies.

Mosher’s book is a call to remember the victims of the CCP and to remain vigilant against the spread of its destructive ideology. It’s an essential read for those interested in the intersections of history, politics, and human rights, offering a comprehensive examination of the most pressing threat of our time: China.

The Federalist